Trevor Hutchison is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Perth Melbourne, Australia.

The Transformers

I’ve designed more than 25 covers for IDW Publishing’sThe Transformers comic books.

My first series was All Hail Megatron where I worked closely with writer Shane McCarthy. The concept was to produce a series of covers that were eye-catching and different to the usual range of covers seen on the shelves at comic book stores.

I started the project by visiting local comic book stores and taking note of what drew the eye. The main thing I noticed was that many of the covers were quite ‘busy’; lots of action, and lots of different colours. The ones I noticed most had large areas of flat colour or subtle restraint of the colour palette, and I felt this was something I wanted to incorporate. If everything is yelling at you, the thing that stands out is the quiet thing in the corner.

With this in mind I would discuss the theme of each issue with Shane and then try to capture that theme visually in a simple, symbolic and stylistic way.

One of the main themes of All Hail Megatron was “leadership”: The different ways of leading, how the characters dealt with no leadership and their choices when they disagree with the direction of their leaders. To capture this, the designs often used elements of vintage propaganda art, particularly when dealing with the idea of a dictator leader.

Recognition

The covers were well received and keenly sought-after by fans.

IDW released a stand-alone compilation book of my All Hail Megatron covers in late 2009 called The Art of Trevor Hutchison.

Bold Park Community School Website

I was fortunate to meet with the teachers and students at the school to get a sense of their philosophy before designing a website that would work well for both current and prospective parents, as well as the students, staff and researchers interested in pedagogy.

I used a hexagon motif derived from the shape of the classrooms along with a variety of colours, textures and photo elements to emphasise fun, diversity and nature - all things important to their educational philosophy.

Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys

Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys are a 6-piece Rhythm & Blues band based in Perth, Western Australia. They specialise in playing music from the 40s – 60s and in particular the jazz music from New Orleans to Las Vegas.

For the last few years I have designed a wide range of vintage-inspired materials that aimed to communicate the band's old-school fun and energy. This has included a website, video projections, posters, flyers and the artwork for all their albums.

Fly By Night Club Website

The Fly by Night Musicians Club is an iconic music venue located in the heart of Fremantle, Western Australia. It’s seen as a bit run down, but full of character and the destination for a great night out.

The old website was well-known but also quite outdated. I sought to refresh the design by keeping the gig listing prominent on the home page, whilst injecting more of the character of the old venue and updating it to a responsive web design.

We were fortunate to tour the venue and delve into The Fly’s archives, and the trip proved highly influential. Early gig design materials, venue decorations, signage and architectural elements of the building were incorporated into the final web design.

Note: Unfortunately shortly after the website launch the long-running club was evicted from the old venue and has since relocated. The current website has been reskinned to reflect the new venue.

The Omega Men

DC Comics had seen my propaganda-style work on IDW’s “All Hail Megatron” Transformers series and got in touch with me about the possibility of similar propaganda-inspired covers for a new Omega Men series. They were looking for something a bit different and the idea of defaced propaganda posters provided opportunity for visual interest whilst reinforcing the theme of the series.

Echoes of Harlem Posters

Decmil Website

Working with the team at Marketforce, I helped bring their new brand identity to an all new, responsive website.

with Marketforce

Interchange Website

Interchange provides planning and services for Western Australians with disability.

I designed their new website with a strong focus on accessibility and usability whilst extending their friendly brand.

With Clever Starfish

The Fathering project Website

The Fathering Project aims to inspire and equip fathers and father figures to engage with their kids.

I designed a website that aims to be a hub of advice, stories and ideas about being a father.

With Clever Starfish

Crimestoppers WA Website

Crime Stoppers WA needed to present itself as a not-for-profit organisation that serves the community and ensures the information about crimes and suspicious behaviour provided by the community was delivered securely to the appropriate people.

We freshened and updated the look, feel, content and structure with the result for the client has been a huge lift in engagement, reports and positive recognition.

Retro Music Box

Retro Music Box is an entertainment agency that specialises in booking bands, singers and DJs with a retro and vintage inspired theme.

I designed a logo that aimed to show in a fun way the idea of a full-package entertainment solution. The box motif was continued as the main visual concept for the design of the website.

Website with Clever Starfish

Scott Shorter Website

with Clever Starfish

GI Joe

I was commissioned to design a series of covers for San Deigo-based IDW Publishing’s GI Joe comic book.

I designed the covers to tile lengthways, which hopefully would provide an incentive for collectors to seek out the whole series.

Carpets & Floors website

Carpets and Floors At Yours wanted to introduce a game changer to the flooring market. With a strong focus on the user experience of shopping for flooring online, we designed them a fully-responsive website showcasing their full catalog of products.

With Clever Starfish

V Wars

Cover designs for IDW Publishing’s V-Wars series: A sweeping threaded narrative of the global phenomenon known as the Vampire Wars.